Pratt Negotiations May Resume Soon

Union Sends Letter Proposing Return To Bargaining Table

Pratt & Whitney and the striking International Association of Machinists have started laying the groundwork to resume contract talks and could return to the bargaining table in a few days.

If things go smoothly, the strike that idled 5,100 Connecticut machinists starting Monday could end in a week or two, according to observers.

"Probably two weeks. Beyond that, everybody loses," said Armand Zottola, a professor of economics at Central Connecticut State University. "This is an unpleasant business, especially at Christmas time, at Hanukkah."

Zottola and others cautioned, though, that much work needs to be done before a pact can be negotiated, sold to workers and ratified.

The biggest point of contention is a proposal that would let Pratt move the work of 500 East Hartford machinists out of state -- despite contract language requiring the company to make every "reasonable effort" to keep jobs in Connecticut.

Pratt promises to bring in higher-tech machining work that would keep 700 people busy. But the union doesn't want to set a precedent by letting Pratt get around the "reasonable effort" language. James M. Parent, the union's top negotiator, also says workers don't trust the company to keep its word. Pratt has promised to bring work to the state in the past and not delivered, according to Parent.

Pratt spokesman Mark Sullivan declined to comment on the allegations. He said he wasn't in the negotiations and didn't want to jeopardize the talks by misstating or misinterpreting something.

"The issue is job security," said William Tracey, head of the management department at CCSU. "The bottom line is, what good's a 100 percent raise if they're going to move the jobs out of state."

Pratt said Tuesday it got a letter from the union officially suggesting that talks resume. The company is willing to sit down again, but wants both sides to lay groundwork before getting together, Sullivan said.

"We have to understand where we're starting from," he said. The company has sent a letter back to the union suggesting that they set an agenda of sorts.

"We want to make sure those talks are productive so we can resolve this dispute quickly," the company said in a statement. "We need to understand specifically what detailed issues the union wants to discuss now." The company said it expected talks to start "within a short time."

Parent, directing business representative for the union's District 91, says he expects to be back at the bargaining table within days. A settlement could come in less than 10 days if things move quickly, he said.

Another source said the company is looking for a place to have the talks with the expectation that they'll begin by the end of this week.

On Tuesday, machinists continued picketing the jet-engine company's four Connecticut plants in East Hartford, Middletown, North Haven and Cheshire.

In Middletown, about 60 machinists were gathered at the entrance to the Aircraft Road plant Tuesday morning. Forty were walking in a circle . They heckled drivers who approached the gate but always broke ranks to let them through.

"Turn it around, scab. We don't need you. Go home," someone with a bullhorn intoned as one driver pulled up. Workers cheered when a FedEx worker turned his truck around and left.

"I'm striking for the younger people," said Mary Hurlburt, 54, of Cromwell as she took a break. "They need a younger generation coming in to build these engines."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, two-thirds of last year's walkouts nationally lasted less than three weeks. When strikes extend beyond three weeks, Zottola said, it's usually a sign of severe problems.

He said Pratt and machinist negotiators who sat in on the initial talks should know already what the issues are and what the other side will and won't accept. If they understand each other, there probably is plenty of room for negotiation, he said. A resolution could come quickly, he said.

Tracey said Pratt needs to be more forthright about its future in Connecticut -- for the union, for its salaried employees, and for the state, he said.

"The company needs to show a good faith effort that they care about these Connecticut workers and their families," he said. "If they can resolve this, they both win."